Fight Ring
by dumbo-dolly
Summary: Takes place during New Moon right before Jacob's transformation into a shape-shifter --sorry if you didn't know!--. He is kidnapped by a group of vampires running a supernatural creatures fighting ring and forced to fight to stay alive.
1. Your Heart is My Pinata

**Summary: Takes place during New Moon. Jacob is kidnapped right before his transformation to being a shape-shifter by a group of vampires running a supernatural creatures fighting ring. Will get pretty angsty – sorry.**

**Inspired by: New Moon and Gladiator**

**Disclaimer: I don't own it. There are some direct excerpts from New Moon and I'm sure you'll recognize them when you read them.**

**Chapter 1:**

"**Your heart is my piñata" – Chuck Palahniuk**

**Jacob POV**

I pulled up next to Bella's old red truck when the first wave hit me. It felt like something in my body was shifting around – not painfully – just…unusual.

"I would invite myself in, since we're early," I said, turning to face Bella. That one look at her sent me spiraling into a fit of desperation. I yearned to spend more time with her. I could spend every second of my life with her and never get tired or long for someone else's company, but if I was getting sick, I didn't want her catch anything.

"But," I continued, my disappointment clouding my voice, "I think you might be right about the fever. I'm starting to feel a little…strange."

I had to make an effort not to blush as a worried mother-hen look crossed her face, "Oh no, not you too! Do you want me to drive you home?"

Could this get any more embarrassing?

"No," I replied as steadily as I could, shaking my head while my body continued to betray me, "I don't feel sick yet. Just…wrong. If I have to, I'll pull over." That was a lie but I couldn't have Bella trying to take care of me while I was trying to prove to her that I wasn't a kid.

The anxious look did not disappear from her face. "Will you call me as soon as you get in?"

I looked away from her and bit my lip, not wanting to reveal how much discomfort I was beginning to feel.

"Sure, sure."

She looked hesitant but opened her door to get out of the car anyway. I knew I had to salvage this, lest I look as ridiculous as Mike Newton. I grabbed her wrist.

She looked surprised. "What is it, Jake?"

I shifted nervously but was able to look at her. "There's something I want to tell you, Bella…but I think it's going to sound kind of corny."

I almost stopped myself when she let out a disappointed sigh.

"Go ahead," she urged with almost no attempt at enthusiasm.

I felt like it had to be said, even if she went inside and laughed at me and even if it confirmed her belief that I was just some kid that would never be worthy of her affection.

"It's just that, I know you're unhappy a lot." I wanted to slam my head against the steering wheel, what a dumb thing to say…I had to save this!

"And maybe it doesn't help anything, but I wanted you to know that I'm always here. I won't ever let you down – I promise that you can always count on me." Ugh this was not going the way I had hoped, I tried to smile, "Wow, that does sound corny. But you know that, right? That I would never, ever hurt you?"

She smiled patiently and I couldn't help but notice how warm and deep her brown eyes were. She was too perfect, too beautiful and good for me but I had always been ambitious. I didn't deserve her, but I wanted her more than I could say, even if she could never want me to the same degree.

"Yeah, Jake. I know that. And I already do count on you, probably more than you know."

I was terrified to let myself believe, but I knew that Bella wouldn't cruelly lead me on like this. I couldn't hold back the smile that broke out on my face, but my happiness seemed to disappoint her. I barely had time to reflect on this before another wave of – strangeness – passed through me.

"I really think I'd better go home now."

She hopped out of the car quickly and turned to shout, "Call me!" as I pulled away.

I would, the second I got home.

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"Are you sure we will find anyone worthy of Vespasian's time here?" a belligerent voice asked in what could best be described as a whine. The voice, however, was beautiful and musical despite this.

"Hush Galba!" a harsher, but no less melodic voice whispered back. "We do not need someone of enormous skill, merely a decent fighter that will last longer than that fool …what was his name?"

"Herbert?" Galba supplied.

"Ha! Yes…Herbert from North Dakota…how boring."

"But Otho!" Galba cried indignantly, "Herbert died after 5 minutes in the fight!"

"Exactly," Otho snapped, "That is why it will not be so difficult to find his replacement."

"But what will make 'so-and-so' from Washington more talented than Herbert from North Dakota?" Galba would not be easily swayed as he made a move to stand from his crouched position beside Otho.

"Do you really believe that I would risk displeasing Vespasian again?" Otho growled, pulling Galba back down, "Do you really think I neglected my research?"

Galba crouched mutely, waiting for Otho's explanation.

"There is a tribe here…Quileute, to be precise, and it is rumoured that they are no normal tribe. They have protectors amongst them…shape-shifters!" Otho smiled greedily as he imagined the fortune Vespasian would bestow upon him for such a find.

"You expect to capture a shape-shifter? Just the two of us!?" Galba cried in outrage, fearing a fight. He was a businessman, not a fighter.

"Oh Galba!" Otho cried in delight, "how little you trust me! This is a relatively new – pack – Many young ones will start their transformations and be absolutely clueless as to what is happening…as long as we grab one before they complete their transformation it should be positively simple!"

"How do you propose we-" but Galba's question was cut off as they heard the sound of tires pulling on to the gravel shoulder of the road, not 10 meters from their hiding spot.

They watched as a boy, in obvious discomfort stumbled out of his car and sat down, seemingly trying to catch his breath.

Otho looked delighted, "Galba," he whispered, too quiet for human ears to hear, "it appears luck is on our side. We need not search any longer for a little wolfling has come to us!"

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**Jacob POV**

I hadn't believed that what I told Bella to comfort her would actually become a necessity. I was glad that it was late and no cars would pass this road for many hours – I didn't need someone else to see me being weak.

The mild discomfort had changed to a startling pain as it felt like my bones were rearranging themselves and my muscles were morphing. My body was being stretched and it felt like torture. I was startled out of my self-pity suddenly by a voice that sounded like little fairy bells…which was pretty messed considering this person was clearly a man.

"Are you alright?" he asked pleasantly, but I felt an immediate distrust. He was tall, but not nearly my height, and oddly feline and slender. He was…beautiful, which I always found to be a strange adjective to describe a man, but it seemed apt in this case. Yet, despite his strange good looks, there was something sinister about his manner…and his scent was almost…sickening.

"I'm fine!" I snapped, trying to think of a way to scare him off, "My dad's on his way to come get me right now."

The man chuckled lightly, "Does it feel like your whole body is changing? Like you're becoming a different man, perhaps even a different creature?"

My mouth hung open in surprise and I was about to stand up and run until I noticed a movement at the back of my car. It was another man, similar in appearance, though slightly shorter.

I threw myself up and tried to run but I hadn't even taken a step before both men were on me, holding me down. I struggled but there hands were solid, like stone, and their grip was unrelenting.

"You're feisty," the shorter one grinned, "I commend you, Otho, Vespasian will enjoy him."

I spat in his face and instantly regretted it as I felt something slam into my cheek, almost like a boulder. I opened my eyes and tried to ignore the pain but neither of them appeared to have even moved an inch. I felt a primal growl growing in my throat and both men immediately began to chuckle.

"You're a good-looking boy too, Vespasian will appreciate you for more than just your temper," the tall one, Otho, leered at me.

I felt a surge of panic at his words before everything went black.

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**Bella POV**

I had never wanted to use Jacob, but I couldn't help but interpret the guilt I felt now to mean that I had.

Even more, I had never meant to love him. One thing I truly knew – knew in the pit of my stomach, in the center of my bones, knew it from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet, knew it deep in my empty chest – was how love gave someone the power to break you.

I'd been broken beyond repair.

But I needed Jacob now, needed him like a drug. I'd used him as a crutch for too long, and I was in deeper than I'd planned to go with anyone again. Now I couldn't bear for him to be hurt, and I couldn't keep from hurting him either. He thought time and patience would change me, and, though I knew he was dead wrong, I also knew that I would let him try.

He was my best friend. I would always love him, and it would never, ever be enough.

I went inside to sit by the phone and bite my nails.

"Movie over already?" Charlie asked in surprise when I came in.

"Mike got sick," I explained. "Some kind of stomach flu."

"You okay?"

"I feel fine now," I said doubtfully. Clearly, I'd been exposed.

I leaned against the kitchen counter, my hand inches from the phone, and tried to wait patiently. I thought of the strange look on Jacob's face as he drove away, and my fingers started drumming against the counter. I should have insisted on driving him home.

I watched the clock as the minutes ticked by. Ten. Fifteen. Even when I was driving, it only took fifteen minutes, and Jacob drove faster than I did. Twenty. Thirty.

I considered calling but I remembered what Jacob said about pulling over. Maybe he was puking at the side of the road and would head home as soon as the nausea passed.

I collapsed on the couch, waiting for the call.

Two hours after Jacob had left my driveway, the phone rang.

I jumped up and grabbed it.

"Hello?" I answered breathlessly.

"Hey Bella, is Jake there with you?" Billy's voice sounded curious but relaxed.

"No, no, no!" I whispered as fear began to cloud my senses, "he left two hours ago, he said he was feeling strange and there's this stomach flu going around."

"Strange?" Billy asked, his voice suddenly choked in fear.

"It's just a stomach flu," I answered back comfortingly, "he's probably heaving on the side of the road." An image of Mike Newton's pale and clammy face flashed in my mind.

"I'll hop in my truck and look for him," I offered, in a hope to placate my fears and Billy's worry.

"No!" Billy gasped, "No, I'll send Sam Uley and his friends out to find him. Stay at home."

I grimaced at Sam's name and grudgingly agreed as Billy hung up. It was a lie of course.

Charlie looked at me expectantly.

"Jacob didn't make it home," I told him, "I'm going to go look for him."

Charlie looked apprehensive and offered to come but I reminded him that it was just a flu and Jake would probably be embarrassed if the police chief came out looking for him. Charlie nodded in understanding and sat down on the couch while I grabbed my coat and keys and rushed out the door.

I had driving for about 8 minutes when I saw his Rabbit at the side of the road, the driver's door still open and the keys in the ignition. I pulled over and got out of my truck but I couldn't see Jacob anywhere. I was about to call his name when I heard whispers coming from the forest.

"I can smell their scent all over – leeches!" someone snarled.

I stepped lightly, praying for once in my life to be stealth. The voices sounded like they were coming closer. I saw them then, about four meters in the trees. Sam and his gang.

"What could the vampires have done with him?" another voice, it looked like Embry, whispered harshly.

I almost let out a gasp. Sam and his gang knew about _vampires!_

At those words, one of the gang members began shaking violently and where that person stood an enormous creature suddenly took his place. It was almost like an explosion – the boy had turned into a- a wolf! But not an ordinary wolf, an enormous wolf! The bear!

I remembered suddenly, long before I had entertained the idea of mythical creatures like vampires, Jacob had told me the old Quileute legends.

"_Do you know any of our old stories, about where we came from – the Quileutes, I mean?" he asked._

"_Not really," I admitted._

"_One legend claims that we descended from wolves – and that the wolves are our brothers still. It's against tribal law to kill them."_

"_Then there are stories about the cold ones." His voice dropped a little lower._

"_The cold ones?"_

"_Yes. There are stories of the cold ones as old as the wolf legends, and some much more recent. According to legend, my own great-grandfather knew some of them. He was the one who made the treaty that kept them off our land." Jacob rolled his eyes._

"_Your great-grandfather?"_

"_He was a tribal elder, like my father. You see, the cold ones are the natural enemies of the wolf – well, not the wolf really, but the wolves that turn into men, like our ancestors. You would call them werewolves."_

I let out a thoughtless gasp and suddenly four pairs of eyes were upon me, one set being the beady eyes of a giant – werewolf!

Sam gave a meaningful look to his gang before stepping toward me. I took a terrified step back, ready to jump into my truck and drive away. Far, far away. Were they the ones responsible for all the deaths? But, before I could take another step, Sam was at my side, holding my wrist gently but firmly.

"Bella," he spoke in a strangely calm voice, "I think you should come with us to LaPush, some things must be explained."

I gasped, "Charlie's waiting for me!"

"Hmm," he looked away thoughtfully, "tomorrow morning then. If you care about Jacob, as I assume your presence hear shows, it would be best if you came."

"Where is he?" I whispered in a strangled, small voice.

"We think he has been captured by the cold ones, though we cannot explain why or how." He looked too calm for such a dire situation.

"Captured!?" I cried fearfully. Not poor, innocent, happy Jacob. He was the last person to deserve this.

"Go home," Sam told me in an authoritative voice, "Tomorrow we may have more answers."

I nodded numbly, feeling my heart collapse again as I stumbled toward my truck. The drive home felt like a dream, my entire body felt cold and numb.

Charlie was standing in the driveway as I pulled in.

"You find him?"

I let out a sob as I shook my head.

"Sam Uley and his friends are out looking right now," I whispered before Charlie started panicking too.

"They'll find him," Charlie whispered confidently, "they know these woods better than anyone."

I couldn't bear to see Charlie's optimism when the world seemed to be falling apart again.

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**Any plot suggestions? Criticisms? I would be glad to hear them.**

**Thanks for reading :)**


	2. The Most Exquisite Form of Torture

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"**In the name of Hippocrates, doctors have invented the most exquisite form of torture ever known to man: survival." – Luis Bunuel**

**Ch. 2 **

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It wasn't the cool force against his cheek, or the fire currently ravaging his body that woke Jacob up. No, it was the delicate staccato of pacing footsteps that were almost too quiet to be noticed. To Jacob it sounded like the metronomic tick of an analog clock that was pressed against his ear. His eye twitched as the sound continued. Before long it started to feel like a drilling in his brain. He opened one eye hesitantly.

"Ahh," a familiar voice instantly cooed, "you're awake."

Jacob opened both his eyes and stared, half-lidded at the chilled metal floor beneath his face. He raised his gaze a little higher in an attempt to search for the owner of the bell-like voice before he noticed the thick steel bars. A cage. The knowledge alarmed him greatly. Even if he found a weakness with these creatures, he knew that he could not break through the iron bars.

"I don't believe we had a chance to formally introduce ourselves," the voice continued. Jacob briefly noticed that his captor had stopped moving as the crisp tapping of heeled boots had ceased.

He put his hands on the floor and pushed in an effort to upright himself. His body protested as his muscles ached and a scorching fire rushed through his veins. It felt like he had done copious amounts of weight lifting…in a volcano. He managed to get to his knees before noticing that his face burned with a much different kind of pain. Jacob vaguely noted that, though his left eye was open, could hardly see out of it. His eyes wandered back to the blurry figure in front of him that had gone silent upon noticing Jacob's distraction.

"My name is Otho and my friend is Galba," he said simply, as though expecting pleasantries to be exchanged.

Jacob snarled as the memories rushed back into his mind. His fury offered his body the strength to stand up. He only swayed briefly before steadying himself against the bars.

"I must say," Otho said coldly, "we are very pleased to have you here," his eyebrows shot up in mock surprise, "And my! What a transformation you have undergone!"

Jacob's curiosity briefly outweighed his apparent fury. He quickly looked down at his formerly lanky body. Jacob heard himself gasp but it was a muffled, distant sound, muted by his surprise. His shirt had been removed at some point and now his formerly long wiry limbs were fully displayed. They were now thick and strong. Muscles protruded from everywhere, emphasized by the deep definition in his light russet skin. His hands were huge. This man, Otho, appeared shorter than last night meaning that Jacob must have grown impossibly taller too. He lifted his head to once again glare at his captor and he realized that he could no longer feel his long hair tickling against his back. He lifted one of his enormous hands to touch it and become conscious of the fact that it had been cropped shorter than it had ever been before.

"Your face too," Otho said in a voice one might use when commenting on the weather, "it's sharper, masculine…you no longer look like a young boy."

In Jacob's bewilderment regarding his new body and his disgust of Otho he failed to notice that he could suddenly see out of his formerly swollen eye until Otho let out a gasp of surprise.

"And healing power too! You certainly are quite the find." Otho stepped closer to the cage, a cold, calculating look in his blood red eyes. Jacob hissed in shock. How could he have missed the fact that they were red last night?

"Tell me," Otho said, wrapping one long finger around a bar on the cage, "What is your name?"

Jacob felt a growl rising in his throat. Vaguely, he noticed that he was constantly compelled to make beastly, primal noises when showing his anger. Lucidly, Jacob was focused on the creature in front of him.

"All right, Jacob," the creature smiled.

Jacob nearly stumbled in surprise.

"Tell me how old you are," he continued, fully aware of Jacob's look of horror.

Jacob stared uncomprehendingly. His mouth bobbed opened and closed like a starving fish. What powers did this creature have?

"Sixteen? Interesting," Otho stepped closer again.

Jacob fought the intrusion of his mind, throwing forth random memories from his childhood.

"Don't worry…I do have powers but mind reading is not one of them."

At Jacob's questioning glare Otho continued with his cavalier explanation.

"Your friends showed up about an hour and a half after Galba brought you here. I stayed to listen to more information about my latest catch."

He looked thoughtful for a moment, "my power is accurately reading body language."

He was now right against the cage, both his hands gripping the bars and Jacob fought the urge to move away.

"Yes," he continued, his face peering through the gaps, "you look every inch a man now but you really are still a boy. Vespasian will be pleased, it is so rare that he gets one _untouched_."

Jacob flinched at Otho's evaluation, sensing a vague discomfort building in his stomach. Otho seemed encouraged by the reaction.

"Oh yes," he smirked, and in a fluid motion that seemed inhumanly fast, he had opened the cage and locked Jacob's wrists into a pair of manacles, that had gone unnoticed, attached to the ceiling of the cage. The movement was instantaneous yet Jacob realized that he could see every motion.

"And you don't even understand your power yet," Otho laughed cruelly as Jacob squirmed in discomfort from his arms being yanked cruelly above his head.

"You could have stopped me, you know," he explained.

Before Jacob had a chance to retort, Otho began speaking again.

"Hmmm, but back to your innocence," he stepped up against Jacob who shivered in disgust.

"You've clearly never been touched, even your lips have never felt another's against them."

Jacob whimpered, the words dissolving into meaningless sounds, as Otho's cold, disgusting fingers moved against the bare skin of Jacob's stomach. He could feel bile rising in his throat, burning like an indomitable acid.

Jacob held his breath, fearing Otho's next move when the caresses suddenly halted just before a resounding knock was heard at an unseen door.

Otho smirked gleefully.

"That will be your new master, slave!"

He flew to the door to open it but Jacob's attention wavered as his body began to shake in anger. It felt, once again, as if all his organs, bones, and muscles were rearranging themselves into an inhuman shape. He forced himself to breathe, he knew he must look strong in front of this new opponent, not like a shivering weakling.

"My dear Otho."

Jacob heard another tinkling voice, though it sounded much more aged than the creatures that had captured him,

"You have not disappointed me as I expected after your last find," the new creature noted in a thin, cold voice.

"My Lord Vespasian," Otho murmured pathetically, "my only aim is to please you."

"Tell me."

"Shape-shifter. Sixteen. Potential Alpha. Completely untouched." Otho crooned as their steps neared toward the cage. Jacob started at the strange evaluation.

_Alpha? Shape-shifter?_

The creatures reached the light and Jacob bit back a yelp as he saw the newest villain. Vespasian was taller than him, large in an elegant way, and covered in hundreds of crescent-shaped scars. He, too, had blood red eyes and long blonde hair trailing down his arms and back. His skin, like the others, was unnaturally pale – almost fragile looking - but Jacob knew not to be fooled. These creatures were lethal.

"Has he ever fought before?" the new creature asked, not removing his eyes from Jacob's body for a moment.

"No, my lord," Otho smiled, "all he needs, I dare say, is some incentive."

They shared a knowing look.

Vespasian then snapped his long, spidery fingers and a dozen of the pale creatures moved out of the shadows.

"Make our guest comfortable."

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**Bella POV**

Captured? My Jacob? My sun? I thought Edward's departure had been the worst pain my heart could feel. I was wrong.

Maybe it's because I knew Edward was happier without me, he had made the choice to leave and unburden himself. Jacob didn't get a choice. The purest, happiest boy I had ever met could be dead. He could be in pain. And if we find him, will he also be broken? Will none of his smiles reach his eyes again? Will his heart feel enormous in its emptiness? I felt hot tears spring to my eyes. I wouldn't wish this fate on anyone. I was the living dead but I couldn't bear to see my saviour become the same.

My head slumped to my pillow, but it felt like a block of ice against my face. I stared sightlessly at my blank walls, feeling a familiar numbness consume my body.

I watched the sun rise against my walls. Naturally, on one of the most horrifying days of my life, the sun would shine brightly and ironically. _My _sun was stolen, so the real one taunts me.

I rose from my bed, not even feeling my body. The drive to LaPush seemed like a nightmarish daze. As I entered the Reservation I noticed Sam and Embry waiting for me. Their enormous figures were perhaps the most intimidating visions I had seen in a very long time. I pulled over and hopped out of my truck on to the gravel. Sam motioned with one enormous finger for me to follow them to a small wooden house down the unpaved road.

Sam turned to me in a fluid motion once we walked through the door.

"So what do you know?"

His eyes looked desperate. Jacob's disappearance seemed to affect Sam strongly. He looked haunted, as though it had been someone he _loved _that had been taken.

I began hesitantly, "well, uh, you guys are…werewolves and the cold ones are vampires…and you think that Jacob was kidnapped by these vampires."

Sam nodded wordlessly.

"Jacob was starting his transformation last night. God knows what unnatural things those parasites are doing to him."

I felt my stomach fall at his words as I staggered to sit down. Sam ignored me and continued speaking.

"Because of this recent attack we have two new transformations happening today. You know them, I believe – Quil Ateara and Leah Clearwater." Sam frowned minutely at Leah's name but my worry for Jacob far outweighed my curiosity.

"How are we going to get him back," I gasped out, my heart felt like it was being slammed by a mallet.

"Jared and Paul are following the leeches' scents right now. We're hoping Jacob phases soon so that we can contact him, maybe he can give us some information," Embry spoke at last.

"What do you mean?" I asked. How could they contact him if he's a wolf?

"We share thoughts and communicate wordlessly in our wolf forms," Sam explained, "Jacob is going to have a hard time understanding what's going on since there's no one to help him." Sam shuddered, perhaps remembering his own lonely transformation.

"Let me help in any way I can," I begged, not knowing what good I could possibly do.

I looked them both in the eyes, disliking their obvious hesitation

"Please."

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**A/N - Originally this chapter was about 10 pages but I cut it down to 5 and put the other stuff in the next chapter...sorry! I was being lazy with editing....**

**Let me know what you think!!!! I have so many ideas of where to go but I want to see what you guys want to see...**

**Thanks again reviewers...all 2 of you LOL!**


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